Meteor NF.12, 46 Sqn, RAF, 1/48th scale.

[turbo]

Looking good Terry

 

[Airframes]

Thanks Kirby.

As promised, here are the latest photos.
The distinctive long nose of the later, night-fighter Meteor series is now in place, and I'm relieved that it fitted without the uneven joint and possible 'step' I originally anticipated.
Further test-fitting, and close examination revealed that part of the resin wheel bay bulkhead was forcing the nose-cone downwards, creating the unevenness and 'step'. This was due to the internal thickness of the plastic of the 'wall' of the nose cone ( around 2 mm) which. although it fitted over the protruding resin parts, came into contact further inside the curve of the nose. Some work with a jeweler's file soon rectified this, and further test-fitting showed a good joint all round.

PIC 1. The edge of the resin bulkhead indicated by the red arrow was filed down slightly, as were the forward edges of the wheel bay walls, indicated by the red and yellow arrows, allowing the nose cone to fit in place without being displaced downwards.
PIC 2. With this small problem solved, the forward fuselage joint was cemented, and sanded smooth once set. The bulkhead and nose wheel support frame where then roughly painted in Xtracolor 'Aluminium' - only the underside of the frame can be seen, and only just, if the model is viewed from below, therefore the little remaining 'flash' was left, as it can't be seen (time saving again !).
PIC 3. The fuselage joint seams were lightly sanded and polished, and those areas of panel lines and access panels affected by the sanding were re-scribed.
PIC 4. An example of the diverse, 'non modelling' products used in our hobby, ranging from air rifle ammunition, to kid's 'Plasticine' and lead roof flashing, these being used as nose weight to prevent a 'tail sitter'.
PICS 5 and 6. The kit instructions call for 60 gr (2 oz) of weight in the nose, which is quite a lot. Although there appears to be a lot of room in the long nose section in which to add the weight, the relatively delicate resin nose wheel frame occupies the rear half of the cone, and allowance had to be made for this, ensuring that any weights added did not crush the frame.
The last of my lead roof 'flashing' was used (this 'off-cut' has lasted me around 15 years !), supplemented by as many .177 cal air rifle pellets that could be crammed in, after first flattening them with a hammer to lessen the area taken up, allowing more pellets to be used.
The lead was then secured and 'blanked off' by moulding a lump of 'Plasticine' around the rear of the packing, and ensuring this curved up around the inside of the nose, away from the resin frame.
I had previously weighed the 'weight package' on digital kitchen scales, which only showed a total of 49 grammes, although it 'felt' more, so I was keeping my fingers crossed that this would be enough.( the scales either need a new battery, or perhaps they aren't quite sensitive enough to record such relatively small weights accurately).
PICS 7 and 8. With the weight secured by the 'Plasticine', the nose was them cemented in place and adjusted so that the relevant panel lines were aligned properly, and the joint was even all round, with no 'step' evident. The parts had to be held together for a few minutes, until set enough to rest on the bench, with the underside of the nose supported until fully set, as it was impossible to use any form of clamp or other support, due to the shape of the nose section.
The red arrow indicates a very slight depression, which I deliberately sanded to ensure there was no 'lip' between the fuselage and nose cone joint at this point, and this will be covered by the front base of the windscreen, when fitted.
Once the nose joint had set enough to handle the model, a 'finger tip C of G test' was carried out, to see if the added weight was enough, and as the nose of the model immediately pointed towards Australia, I'm guessing that there is ample weight up front !
PIC 9. How things look so far, with the nose in place, all joints sanded and panels re-engraved, and ready for the next stage.

The instructions call for the tail planes to be fitted next, but these will be fitted later, to avoid possible damage during the remainder of the build, so the engines and main wing will be tackled next.
However, as the tail planes are 'solid', single piece parts, without locating tabs and designed for a butt joint, which is far from a secure method of attachment, holes will be drilled in the end faces of each tail plane, and short lengths of brass rod inserted and 'superglued' in place. Corresponding holes will then be drilled into the joint faces on the fin, but I haven't yet decided whether to drill these all the way though, and utilize two common 'pins', or whether to use individual pins for each side - decision when the time comes to do the job.

If things go as planned, I should have a fairly long period available tomorrow, with only a coupe of minor interruptions to attend to other things, so I'm hoping to get the engines and wings completed, and possibly fitted in place, and maybe the tail planes too.
Thanks again for your continued interest and encouraging comments, and I'll be back soon with another up-date to this meteoric build - I've got me coat !

 

[T Bolt]

Good progress Terry. Looks like it will have plenty of ammo

 

[SANCER]

Geting better & better

Saludos

 

[Wurger]

 

[Wayne Little]

Doing great there Terry.

 

[Airframes]

Thanks chaps.
Got a bit more done, preparing the main wing center section, which needs to be done before working on adding the fin fillets and sorting out the positions for the tail plane 'pins', to avoid damaging the fin area when filing etc.
I have pics of the prep work to date, but I'll post them later, as I now need the time to sort out my PC and connection problems, and install the new 4G WiFi device.
After 'talking' to Wojtek via PMs, it seems I probably have an error problem with Windows, which will need to be sorted asap.
Back as soon as I have a computer, and net connection, that works properly !

 

[Airframes]

Further to the above post, my PC might have to go into the shop to get sorted, so I can't post any pics just yet. My tame computer chappy is on his way around, and if he can't sort it here, he'll take it away and see to it properly. Working from my lap top, with the 'old' broadband dongle thingy at the moment - I'll install the new 4G Wifi when sorted.

 

[turbo]

Good work Terry. I use the old "finger tip C of G test" too - hope it's all good once the wings and tail planes are on!

 

[Airframes]

Thanks Kirby.

Got my PC back after repair, service and up-date, with all working properly, but still having a 'net connection problem !
I re-installed the 'old' dongle, which worked now the PC is fixed, so then installed the newly arrived 4G WiFi device, but couldn't get a connection - probably something I've done wrong, as the installation instructions are at odds with what appears on screen. Trying the 'old' dongle again didn't work at all now, probably as it's now been de-activated due to installation of the new one !
I've managed to get a limited connection via I.E. only - can't access Google Chrome, or any of my bookmarks etc - so I need to contact the service supplier tomorrow, and hope I can get it sorted !

Anyway, here's an up-date of the work to date - I'm a little further forward than shown in some areas, but haven't sorted the pics yet, due to time spent trying to sort the 'net connection.

PICS 1 and 2. Due to the longer-span wings, the fin area of the NF.12 was increased to compensate, by the addition of faired fillets on the leading edge, above and below the 'bullet' fairing. Work is underway to replicate these on the model, by first sanding-back the fin leading edge slightly, and sanding flat the upper and lower surfaces of the 'bullet' fairing. Roughly-shaped plastic card was then cemented in place, and will be trimmed to shape when fully set.
The 'fillets' will then be built-up and contoured using 'Milliput', and sanded to final shape once the putty has fully hardened.
PIC 3. Whilst waiting for the joints to set on the fin, work has started on cleaning-up and preparing the wing center section and outer wing panels. First job was to remove the large sprue attachment points, typical of limited-run kits, and then clean-up these areas, and the slight mould 'ribs' along the leading and trailing edges, and edges of the nacelles. Note the thickness of the plastic on the engine nacelles, Which I assume will be needed, as the intake to nacelle joint is just a butt joint - no locating lips.
PICS 4 and 5. Test-fitting of the center section showed an overlap of the aft section to fuselage joint. The second pic shows the center section moved slightly forward, revealing where the problem lies - the forward sweep of the fuselage wing root fillets is too acute.
PIC 6. The angle of the fillets was filed and sanded to decrease the forward sweep, and the trailing edge of the center section was chamfered, allowing the part to fit flush, with a much better joint. Any remaining slight gaps can be filled when the assembled center section is fitted, and any affected panel line e-scribed.
PICS 7 and 8. The joint between the outer wing sections and the center section is only supported by the very short 'tab' shown here, and test-fitting also revealed a 'step' in the joint.
PIC 9.This has been corrected, as far as possible, by filing and sanding the inner surface of the center section joint line, reducing the thickness of the plastic to allow the 'tab' to 'sit' closer to the upper surface, and close the joint. As the outer wing section has a dihedral of around 4 or 5 degrees, the joint will probably require a little filler when the wing is fitted.
To improve and strengthen the support of the joint, strips of plastic card will be cemented between the halves of both center and outer wing sections, to create a secondary reinforcing tab, when the wings are fitted.

All of the above are to be expected with limited - run kits of this nature and, as suggested throughout the instructions, repeated test-fitting should be carried out. I note that Andy will be building a Classic Airframes Anson and, although I know that with his experience, he will test-fit everything, I thought it worth emphasizing here, for the benefit of others who might be contemplating such as kit. Their overall fine quality and appearance sometimes masks the fact that more work is required but, with care and attention, there is no reason why this should be just a little more than 'mainline ' kits require.

Getting back to the bench for another extended session, as the deadline is looming closer back with another up-date soon, Internet connection etc allowing !

 

[Wurger]

 

[Crimea_River]

Good stuff Terry. There looks to be a depression in the fin just above the horizontal stab that might need filling too.

 

[Robert Porter]

Lots of refit and tweaking but you look like you are pounding (sanding and filling) it into submission. Great Job!

 

[turbo]

Whoa, a lot of fitting work there Terry, better you than me! Doing great.

 

[Airframes]

Thanks again chaps, and yes Andy, that sink mark on the fin, and a small gap at the rear of the 'bullet' fairing, were mentioned earlier, and have now been sorted, as shown later in this post.

A lot more work has now been done, in a non-stop session lasting around 10 hours, the bulk of which involved removing very large sprue attachments and pins, and repeated test-fitting, leading to a fair amount of alteration (i.e. butchery !) in order to get the parts in and on the wing center section to fit - well, almost fit !
Had this been a 'normal' build, where I could take my time, and pace things, the 'problem' areas described and shown below would not have concerned me. But the old saying 'modelling is not a race', for once is untrue in this instance, as I am now racing - against the clock !
However, as this model is not intended as a true 'show piece', those areas that we, as modellers, would consider to be very poor quality and / or sub-standard work, will not be noticed by those viewing this, and the other models, and as long as the overall finish is as neat as possible, the odd 'not quite perfect' joint should be passable, and go unnoticed - I hope !
It goes against the grain to have to accept, due to time limitations, some of the imperfections that I know are there, but in the time available, it's impossible to get everything to the standards I normally aim to achieve - to do so would require a further month or more. Had this been a kit from a main-stream manufacturer, the problems, or more correctly, more complex areas, would not be an issue, and the remaining time in which to complete the model would be adequate.
But this is definitely not a 'shake and bake' kit, being a limited run kit aimed squarely at the experienced, or dare I say it, 'expert' modeller, a fact made perfectly clear on the packaging of all Classic Airframes kits, a company who produce (or used to) a very good range of very good kits, mainly of subjects which are popular and sort after by enthusiasts, but perhaps not 'big sellers' as far as the 'average modeller market' is concerned. For example, a Meteor F3 or F8 would (and does) sell immediately to the 'mass' market, whereas the NF.11 (as this kit is) or T7, probably would not appeal as much, and therefore might not be a good investment for companies such as Airfix or Tamiya, which is exactly why companies like CA produce such kits, as limited run items and with all that entails, specifically for the 'specialist' market, for want of a better description.
I've mentioned all of the above, as it may seem, in the descriptions below, that I'm complaining about the quality of this kit, but that is definitely not the case - the kit itself is very good indeed for a limited run example, and such things as a lack of locating pins or slots, and vague locating instructions are to be expected. What is provided is a kit of very good parts that allow a very good model to be produced, without the need of cross-kitting and lots of scratch-building, but requiring a high level of skill, and patience, in order to get the desired result - it's all there, it just needs some thought, time, and effort to reach the end, when a very high level of satisfaction should also be achieved !

Anyway, back to the build and the progress so far.

PICS 1 and 2. When the plastic card additions to the fin had fully set, they were trimmed to shape, and 'Milliput' was moulded in place around them, to build-up the overall depth and basic profile. When set, this will be carved, sanded and polished to the finished shape.
The sink mark on the port side of the fin, along with the small gap at the rear of the 'bullet' fairing were also filled at this time,, a was a small gap at the base of the upper, starboard fin, where it meets the top of the 'bullet' fairing. Again, these will be sanded when set.
PIC 3. The fuselage was then put aside to allow the 'Milliput' to set, and attention turned to the wing center section and engines assembly where, from previous test fitting, I knew there would be some problematic areas.
First stage was to fit the boxes for the wheel wells, and just removing them from the sprue was a challenge in itself - just look at the length and thickness of that sprue attachment !
After 5 or more minutes, both wheel bay boxes were eventually sawn of, and then cleaned up before fitting into the inside of the center section, aligning each one by eye, and ensuring the visible 'walls' lined-up with the aperture edges. Once in place and set, the interiors were painted 'Aluminium'.
PIC 4. Resin parts are provided for the engine fronts, with the compressor screen, oil pump, generator and compressor moulded onto a plain disc, and the jet pipes are also resin. After basic painting, the engine parts were 'superglued' in place, aligning them as best I could with reference to the diagrams in the instructions. To save time, I didn't even remove the casting plugs from the inner ends of the jet pipes !
PICS 5 and 6. The instructions suggest that the top and bottom intakes should be fitted to the top and bottom wing sections, before joining the wing, and the wing leading edge visible inside each nacelle is provided, and has to be fitted to the lower intake section first.
I anticipated fit problems if the instructions were followed fully, so I elected to fit the lower cowlings as suggested, but to fit the uppers after fitting the upper wing, but first, the parts had to be cleaned-up to remove some small amounts of flash, excess plastic along the nacelle an intakes edges, and more, very large pins - yet more time taken wihout moving forward with the construction !
PIC 7. With the bottom intakes fitted, the wing leading edges glued in place, and the insides of the nacelles and the leading edges painted 'Aluminium', it was time to persuade the upper wing sections to fit.

 

[Airframes]

Next step should have involved fitting the upper wing, followed by the upper sections of the intakes, in this case the intakes being the later, larger diameter type (both large and small are included in the kit), but further test fitting, without the upper intakes, immediately indicated that the upper wing would not fit over the engine fronts, without creating a large gap along the joints of the rear nacelles !
It also looked like there would be problems fitting the upper intakes, which at least made me glad I hadn't followed the instructions, and fitted them to the upper wing first !
The pics below show the sequence of events which eventually lead to a fit of sorts !


PIC 1. All change ! The resin engine parts were removed - thankfully they were attached using CA, which allowed them to be gently prised away - and the top section and top edges were sawn off, along with the front of the compressor mounting, allowing the parts to be re-located slightly further forward, and allowing more clearance between the top of the parts, and the inside of the nacelle,
PICS 2 and 3. The wing top was then cemented in place, and taped tightly to help keep the joints together, that is, where the joints actually met !
The starboard upper intake was then coaxed into place, cemented, and taped tightly. The gap between intake and nacelle isn't quite as bad as it looks, and will be filled with stretched sprue and sanded flush later, whilst the rough-looking seam will be sanded and polished, once everything is fully set. I deliberately allowed cement to seep out of the joint, to act as a form of filler.
PIC 4. The port upper intake needed more work, the area indicated by the tip of the scalpel blade having to be cut back, on both sides of the nacelle, and the small space between this and the edge of the wing leading edge had to be filed, to create space for the thickness of the 'wall' of the intake.
PIC 5. The curved joint line of the intake had to be enlarged, trimming upwards and forwards, in order for it to fit over the edge of the wing to nacelle joint.
PIC 6. Both nacelles complete, and tightly taped until set. All joints will be filled as required, and then sanded smooth and polished and, all being well, they should look OK when done, if perhaps not exactly where they should be, which, I hope, will not be noticeable !
PIC 7. The center section assembly was then test-fitted to the fuselage, to check if any further sanding or trimming might be needed, and thankfully, it is a tight fit, with minimal gaps, which might not need further attention when actually cemented in place properly - the front, underside joint has not been pushed fully home here, but does fit flush when held lightly in place, so should set correctly when cemented and clamped or taped

The nacelle joints look a bit messy at the moment, but I'm actually rather relieved that they are not as bad as I anticipated, and they should look OK after sanding and polishing.
The center section assembly will now be put aside, and the fin fillets will be carved and sanded to shape next, with the tail planes prepared and drilled, along with the root faces on the fin, and pins added to support the joint.
When that's done, the center section will be fitted to the fuselage, and the outer wing panels rectified, before attempting to fit them at the correct dihedral.

Thanks again for looking in and commenting - makes it all worthwhile - and I'll be back fairly soon with another episode of DIY - Destroy It Yourself !!

 

[rochie]

Seem to be getting there Dogsbody

 

[Airframes]

Yep, it's starting to come together.
If I can get the wings and center section tidied and fitted without too many problems or delays, and the fin and tail planes done OK, then I'll be on track and might get to the painting stage by early next week.
This is one I really want to get finished in time, and to as high a standard as possible in the time allowed, given the known troublesome areas, as Dougie told me he was prepared to pay, out of the Association 'slush fund', up to a three-figure sum just for the kit !
Of course, I'm not accepting payment for the kits, or for the finished models, as I've told Dougie I'll donate them.
The 1/72nd scale NF.14 kit was acquired before I was lucky enough to grab this kit, so if I'm able to get that one done as well, it'll be a bonus - it'll be thrown together OOB, no enhancements,and a basic, but accurate, paint finish.
If I was to do this one again (and I might, if I can find another kit at a sensible price), then I'd really take the time needed to get everything sorted properly, and probably replace such things as the engine fronts with scratch-built items that fit properly, and improve other areas and add some detail here and there.
If nothing else, I've learned something for when I get to do the CA Vampire T.11 kit !

 

[Wurger]

 

[Robert Porter]

Not attempting to hijack the thread but I have heard the term "Dogsbody" several times and we even have a member that uses that as a handle. What does it mean?